Insulated refrigerator vehicle body



P 1952 P. R. SCHNABEL 2,612,028

INSULATED REFRIGERATOR VEHICLE BODY Filed Nov. 4, 1948 2Sl-lEETS-Sl-iEET 1 INVENTOR.

Sept. 30, 1952 P. R. SCHNABEL I INSULATED REFRIGERATOR VEHICLE BODYFiled Nov. 4, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

P @SM BY 7% M Patented Sept. 30, 1952 INSULATED REFRIGERATOR VEHICLEBODY Paul R. Schnabel, Oakmont, Pa., assignor to The Schnabel Company,Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 4,1948, Serial No. 58,289

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in refrigeratorbodies of the type employed on automotive vehicles such as milk and icecream wagons.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a refrigerator bodyof the-insulated type in 3 Claims. (01. 62-15) hicle body are Rubatexlayers 20, 2lia, 2l and 2 la.

The unique feature of construction i the stepping of the insulatedlayers, which is more clearwhich the base and corner insulation is overlapped or stepped to prevent conduction of heat into the tank type body.

It is another object of the invention to provide an insulated vehiclebody in which the insulating material is slightly spaced from the tankor metal portion to collect condensation and conduct it into the tank.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an insulating bodyfor vehicles in which the roof corner pieces are welded and in which theinsulation is protected against the heat of the weld.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent froma consideration of the accompanying drawings, constituting a parthereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and inwhich Fig. l is a View in perspective, partially in cross section andpartially in elevation of an insulated body embodying the principles ofthis inv'ention;

Fig. 2 a vertical cross section of a side wall of the body;

Fig, 3 a top plan view of a corner of the body;

Fig. 4 a cross section of the corner taken along the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 a top plan view of the seat.

In the drawing the numerals I and 2 designate longitudinal and crosschannel pieces of the vehicle chassis in which is mounted a metal bodycomprising side walls 3 and 4 with layers of insulation and 5 on theinterior of the walls 3 and 4, the body portion being made in sectionswith a bottom section ia turned atright angles to form a shelf 7. Thetop section 4 of the side wall i provided with a bead 8 that forms anoverlapping flange 9 with the lower section 4.

Mounted on the shelf 1 is an angle strip I t that supports uprights l Ifilled with layers of insulation l2 and iii. The insulating material 5and 6 is preferably fiber glass which is commercially available, and theinsulating material I2 and I3 is Rubatex, a form of sponge rubber. Thebottom of the vehicle body is sheet metal it ribbed as shown at It forrigidity and strength. Mounted on the floor [4 are four layers ofRubatex, designated by the numerals l6, ll, 18 and I9, and disposedalong the inner wall of the ve- Fig. 5 a view in perspective of a seatfor the body;

ly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The'bottom layers [6 and H are shownabutting the upright layer 20a, and the side layers 20 and El rest uponthe layer 11. The upper layers I8 and iii again abut the vertical layers2|, resulting in a step joint, as shown, which prevents conduction ofheat from the exterior to the inner or tank portion of the body. Whenvthe wall and floor insulation has been assembled, the so-called tank ofthe body is lowered into place, which consists of the sheet metal bottomlayers 22a, the side walls 22 and the roof or sealin portion 23. Fiberglass insulation is placed on the roof 23, as shown by the layers 24, 25and 26, with a final roof of to accumulate on the exterior of the tankwalls and drip down through the passage 26a ofthe breather tubes asindicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The moisture accumulates in the bottom of the pan on the surface 22a, from which it can beremoved. The breather tubes are particularly useful in defrosting thetank, which is done on frequent occasions, and prevents the moisturefrom passing into the fiber glass layer 6, which'loses its insulatingqualities when soaked with moisture.

The step construction of the insulation is carried out between the Wallsheets 5 and 6 and the roof sheets 24, 25 and 26 as shown in Fig. 2, andmetal angle pieces 30 and 3| are provided for this purpose. A curvedmetal piece 32 is placed along the edges of the roof and formed into arounded corner 33 a shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The corners arepacked with fiber glass insulation 34, as shown in Fig. i, and a layerof asbestos 35, which is preferably surfaced with aluminum foil, isplaced at the corners to prevent melting of the fiber glass insulationwhen the corner pieces are welded.

The vehicles herein described may be provided with metal seats 40,having their front corners cut away as shown at 4|, to give freedom ofaction to the legs of the driver. As shown in Fig. 6, the seating pad 42may overlap the edges 45] and 4| of the seat so that when the driverleaves the seat heacan slide forwardjwithout any rub or so-called skinburns.

The vehicle may be provided with a Wooden slat structure 43, as shown inFig. 1, on which the burden is stacked and which prevents slipping.

It is evident from the foregoing description of the invention thatinsulatedrefrigeratorbodies.of the type therein described provide forease of construction, in that they permit completing the insulationstructure inside .of the vehicle before the tank is lowered therein.Also by means of the stepped insulation at the base and top *of thevehicle, circulation is cut off. The breather pas- ;sagesmaintain .the'wall. insulationat its greatest efficiency by :preventing thex'zaccumulation and absorption .o'f:moisture,t-which is:common .to the.use .of .insulationrotmetal tanks or bodies. By :meansof'..the;.use:.of .thaasbestos and foil liners,

:the cornerwpiecesmay be weldeddnstea'd ofsolidered, as hasbeen .thepractice, thereby forming 1a tshfonger .z-and; more i'dlllQble 2structure at the joints.

Althoughsseveral s embodiments of the. invention have. been. herein.illustrated. and described, it *will ;be..-evident .t01those skilled inthe .art that various .modificationsxmay.be;;made; inqthe .details.ofzconstruction .withoutizdeparting: from the ;prin ciplesherein'setcforth.

1. .;In-ani;insulated;refrigeratorvehicle :body, a side wall structure'consisting fof ;a, plurality .of sections joined and overlapping in.the. region. of the :base,:the bottom section havingca turned-inshelfcconstituting. a fiangezexten'ding horizontally from'the side Wall,wall i insulation extending in layers parallel Wlthith8f: sidewall'above said shelf, aimetali floor for 'thei vehicle resting ..ontheside walltshelves; insulating layers .supported'xonlsaid floor withtheir .1 end :faces abutting the vertical layer :of insulation ..on the:side wall, said side 'Walland: floor insulationibeing arranged toalter- .nately-z abut andr'restzupon'ieachother to form a .step jointforthe preventionofcirculation. of. air

through the joint.

2. In an insulated refrigerator vehicle body, a sheet metal outer wallcomprising a plurality of overlapping sections, the bottom section beingflanged to constitute a shelf, a sheet metal floor supported on saidshelf, sheet insulation disposed iinllayersjiparallel to the sidewallofthe vehicle body and parallel to the=sheet metal floor of thebody, and a metal tank constituting the inner wall of the body loweredin the vehicle and rest .ing .uponthe sheet insulation on the floor ofthe vehicle, said tank being spaced from the insulating side walls ofthe vehicle and having breather passages for conducting condensationfrom the "walls of 'thetank inside to the floor of the tank, a sheetmetal roof for said tank, and a metal roof forthevehic1e'with layers ofinsulation disposed between the tank and vehicle roofs, the roof andsidewall insulation being arranged in abutting relation to form a stepjoint.

. SQInLan insulated; refrigerator vehicle body, a -rocf.--structurecomprisinga vertical. layers. of: sheet insulation rand-horizontallayers. of sheetinsulation arranged to form a step joint; metalsheathing.envelopingthe edgespfrthel horizontal and vertical insulating layers,and .iatrounded meta-l corner piece :extending from the :outer roofsheathing .to ;.the side-wallzof :the body." having insulation disposedtherein, said. insulation at the corner beingiortified.byasbestosandzfoil.

PAUL. R. SCHN ABEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordrin "the filecfthis; patent:

UNITED 'STATES PATENTS

